The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Capital Territory Command, Dr. Olusola Odumosu Photo NSCDC
The Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Capital Territory Command, Dr. Olusola Odumosu, has called on the Federal Government to introduce harsher punishments for vandals targeting Critical National Assets and Infrastructure.
Speaking from his office in Abuja on Monday, Odumosu expressed concern over the increasing rate of repeat offenses among those arrested for vandalism.
He attributed this trend to what he described as lenient court sentences that fail to deter criminal activity.
“There is a need for stiffer penalties for these offenders; most of them, by the time we take them to court, only get very minimal penalties such as fines.
“You take vandals to court only to get fined for as low as between 2,000 to 5,000 Naira, while in some cases, they are given community service such as sweeping some portions of the metropolis,” Odumosu said in a statement signed by the command spokesperson, Monica Ojobi.
He further stated, “We arrest vandals, but we keep seeing them back on the road vandalising government infrastructure over and over again.
“This is a cause for concern for us, and it is so because the punishments or convictions they get can not deter anybody.”
According to the statement, Odumosu called on the relevant authorities to put in place more stringent measures to dissuade would-be vandals from damaging public infrastructure.
“We have been doing our part, but we don’t have control over the prosecution process, such as the hearing dates, adjournment, and eventual conviction.
“The judiciary should help us to do their part because our own is just to take them to court; whatever happens thereafter is not within our power,” he said.
The commandant emphasised that while the NSCDC’s legal team acts swiftly to prosecute suspects, systemic delays in the judicial process often undermine their efforts.
“We don’t usually waste time in tackling matters that we feel require prosecution, as we are guided by the extant laws, which stipulate that you cannot keep a suspect beyond a certain number of hours, which is 48 hours.
“And so whenever we have suspects in our custody, we always move swiftly into action by carrying out immediate and appropriate investigation before taking the matter to court,” Odumosu said.
He added, “There are times when cases are adjourned and other times we find it difficult to even get a date for a hearing; all this we don’t have control over.”
Odumosu concluded by saying that implementing stricter and more prompt punishments for vandalism would not only help in curbing the menace but also motivate security personnel to do their job more effectively.
“Stiffer penalties will further encourage my officers and men who are losing their sleep; patrolling and surveying every nook and cranny of the FCT to make more arrests, knowing that their efforts will not go down the drain,” he admonished.
